Make your bathroom look bigger with these 5 flooring tricks

Bathrooms, shower rooms and downstairs WCs are traditionally the smallest rooms in the house. The tendency is for these spaces to look and feel cramped – but it doesn’t have to be that way. With a bit of imagination, there are plenty of ways that you can make the most of small bathroom spaces, starting at ground level.

Bathroom flooring comes in a wide range of choices. Whether you prefer ceramic and natural stone tiles, laminate flooring, rubber or luxury vinyl tiles, your decision shouldn’t be based on practical considerations alone. The flooring you select can make a huge difference to the visual impact of the room overall.

We’ve got 5 clever bathroom flooring tricks that you can use so that even the smallest space feels airy and looks spacious.

1. Lay your floor diagonally

From stacked bond to checkerboard, brick, basket and herringbone, to mention just a few, floor tiles can be laid in a wide variety of attractive patterns and in different directions. Speak to an experienced flooring designer and fitter to discuss which option is most suitable for your bathroom.

Rather than laying your floor in a straight line, why not install it at an angle? The longest distance in the room is the diagonal line between the corners. Choosing a diagonal format is a tried and tested visual trick that will guide the eye into a different perspective, with the effect of making the space appear bigger than it actually is.

2. Elongate the space

A narrow bathroom can be tricky to get right but there are interior design tricks to make the room look longer. Rather than square tiles, choose plank shaped floor tiles and make sure you get the widest floorboard plank you can find. Fewer seams will look less busy and create a more open, widening pattern.

Next, have your planks laid parallel to the longest wall in the room. This will create the best visual impact and draw they eye along the seams.

If you wish to make a feature of the beautiful floor tiles, why not choose a slightly darker colour to attract the eye? This works particularly well if the room has plenty of natural light, perhaps in combination with recessed ceiling downlighters for extra brightness.

3. Maximise the light

It is an open secret that lighter colours make a room feel bright and airy, which you can use to your advantage when it comes to decorating any spatially challenged rooms in your home. For best effect in your bathroom, choose white, off whites or light neutrals on the floor.

Unlike other rooms in your home where a white or near-white colour scheme might look too clinical, bathrooms are super hygienic spaces where white works exceedingly well. Choose a pastel colour scheme if you’re after a slightly softer look, or add pops of colour here and there with accessories and soft furnishings.

4. Harmonise your colours

To achieve a more unified look, why not go one step further and match the colours used for flooring and walls? Blurring the edges between horizontals and verticals is a clever way to create the impression of endless space. Blend in the bathroom door and the radiator too, or use luxury underfloor heating to save precious space.

The idea is to create a clean and streamlined look that will make your bathroom or WC appear calm and uncluttered and, ultimately, larger.

5. Take inspiration from the coast

Giving your bathroom a seaside makeover can incorporate all the elements needed to make the space feel naturally serene and relaxing while giving the illusion of space. Try designing your bathroom around a palette of similar shades in whites, neutrals and pale blues.

Choose plank tiles that mimic whitewashed oak to evoke beach house chic and pair it with a pure white bathroom suite and matching walls. Or paint the walls the colour of a bright blue sky and add small, coastal themed accessories to create a calm and light space for complete relaxation.

Story by: Dakota Murphey